Growth patterns of the normal pituitary gland and in pituitary adenoma.
The growth pattern of the pituitary gland of 86 infants, children and adolescents without pituitary or hypothalamic dysfunction was studied with sagittal magnetic resonance imaging. Postnatally the gland grew rapidly, reaching a plateau at almost three years after birth, and growing rapidly again between the age of 10 to 13 years. Pituitary gland area showed a similar growth pattern to gland height. The pituitary glands of seven patients with pituitary adenomata were also examined. All had convex upper-gland margins, with height and area significantly greater than those of normal controls of the same age.
Konishi
Y
Y
Department of Paediatrics, Fukui Medical School, Japan.
Kuriyama
M
M
Sudo
M
M
Hayakawa
K
K
Konishi
K
K
Nakamura
K
K
D000236:Adenoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*